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Of the 10 children born to my 3rd great grandparents, Nathaniel Foster Chapin and Elizabeth Harris, very few seemed to be content to get to one place and stay there.

Willard N Chapin, sixth in the line-up, was no exception to the bunch of his siblings with wanderlust.

The last time I can find him in a census where I know it's really him was the 1885 Kansas State census, and he was living with his mom and dad in Fort Scott, KS. He was 20 years old.

He followed in his father's footsteps and made his living with wood, as a carpenter.

I can document him living in Fort Scott through the printing of the 1889/1890 Hoyes City Directory for the city. Willard was living at 401 Coates Street, and was employed as a carpenter.

Then, I lose him for 20 long years, until he turned up in the list of registered voters for San Luis Obispo Co., CA in 1910.

San Luis Obispo County, 1910

From where ever he lived in southern California, it was on to Sacramento County, where he was registered as a Socialist among voters on the list from 1912-1914.

Sacramento County, 1912-1914

The next list was from Butte County for the years 1916-1930, which is quite a spread and doesn't help me figure when he was really there. I see he changed his party affiliation to Democrat.

The most problematic of the lists is the one from Nevada County, because it covers the years from 1900-1928.

I don't have a date of death for him, although he does not appear in Ancestry's California Death Index from 1940-1997. He either did not die in California, or he didn't make it to 1940. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter were true, because carpentry is a hard way to make a living as you get on in years.

Of course, it doesn't help that Willard was literally all over the map.

I guess, at least for now, Willard is just another brick in the wall...